In The News

European Foreign Envoys Discuss Iraq and Use of Force

Anthee Carassava May 4, 2003
At a recent meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Greece, the discussions focused on the resumption of diplomatic missions to Iraq and the design of a European security strategy. The proposed European Security Strategy document will be "a common threat assessment on issues ranging from weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, to refugee flows and regional crises." The...

Iraqi Nuclear Site Is Found Looted

Barton Gellman May 4, 2003
A specially trained US Defense Department team inspected a major Iraqi radioactive waste repository and discovered that the site had been severely looted. Computers, furniture and equipment appear to have been looted by Iraqi civilians since the beginning of US led military action. However, US authorities remain uncertain as to who might have taken the nuclear materials and why. On site...

A Shocking Response

Michael Jansen May 2, 2003
Thanks to the EU, two halves of a divided nation are re-united. Turkish and Greek residents of Cyprus are now able to cross the Green Line – a UN-patrolled border separating the two groups – with ease and comfort. At Turkey's urging, the Turkish Cypriot leadership agreed to drop border barriers along the Green Line. In the first day, almost 5,000 people had crossed the border to visit the...

Core of EU Army Takes Shape

Edward Roby May 2, 2003
In an apparent challenge to the military dominance of the US, four European countries agreed to create a joint military staff this week. France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg – all of who opposed the US-led war on Iraq – agreed to integrate their militaries in several key areas. The move was billed as a complement to NATO, but some observers worry that it could weaken the transatlantic...

Talk Tough, Talk Quiet

Anita Pratap May 1, 2003
War hawks in Delhi are eager to use America’s war in Iraq as a model for a preemptive strike on Pakistan. Arguably, the situations are somewhat analogous: there have been instances of cross-border terrorism, some Pakistanis have cooperated with Al Qaeda, and India does not fear Pakistan has weapons of mass destruction – it knows they’re there. Author Anita Prajab argues that all of these...

Blast Rocks Jakarta's Airport

April 28, 2003
It does not appear that international efforts to prevent terrorist attacks have had much effect in Southeast Asia. A recent bombing of the International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia follows several prior attacks on high profile public places, including an attack on a United Nations office in Jakarta. Although security has been tightened around such public venues, the perception remains that no...

China's Mediation Backfires on North Korea

Nayan Chanda April 28, 2003
As Beijing played host to the first US-North Korea talks, reports from Washington claimed that the Pentagon is seeking China's help in bringing about regime change in North Korea. Under Washington's urging, China indeed took the initiative to invite North Korea to Beijing for talks, but it did not bargain for what the North Korean representative delivered. By using that meeting to claim...